Honor God alone

Thursday, August 1 Devotions: Ps 70, 71, 74; 2 Sam 4:1-12; Acts 16:25-40; Mk 7:1-23 Lord, today (and this month), I take refuge in You. Don't let me be put to shame! Deliver and rescue me by Your righteousness, YHWH. Be my Rock of refuge and strength, my Fortress. Rescue me from wickedness, in myself, in the world, from the satan. You are my Hope, my Trust. Cast me not away in my age and weakness. I will tell of Your righteous deeds all the day long. There is no one like You, God! Revive me again and I will speak of Your righteous help and the shame You bring upon those who seek to hurt me. See how the wicked ravage Your church, Your people! Protect us; defend Your covenant, Your land and sky, Your living beings, Lord! Remember us and defend us against our common enemies, I pray. David's rival Saul fell in battle, the kingdom was in an uproar. Joab had executed Abner in retaliation for Abner's killing Joab's brother Asahel. David admitted he could not control the sons of Zeruiah, and called upon YHWH to requite evildoers according to their wickedness. The surviving sons of Saul were dismayed, including Ishbosheth. David's friend Jonathan had a son who had been lamed in the chaos after Saul and Jonathan fell in battle; the crippled prince's name was Mephibosheth. The captains of Ishbosheth's raiders, named Rechan and Baanah slipped into Ishbosheth's house and beheaded Saul's son in his bed; they took the head and road through the Arabah by night, presenting the head to David in Hebron. But David responded in righteousness—the men had murdered an innocent man in his own house, in his own bed. So David's men put Ishbosheth's captains to death, hung their carcasses beside the pool at Hebron, and buried the head of Ishbosheth. Paul and Silas had been imprisoned in Philippi. About midnight, they were praying and singing hymns, and there was a great earthquake that shook the foundations and freed the prisoners from their fetters and cells. Waking to see all this, the jailer was preparing to kill himself when Paul cried out: 'Don't harm yourself! We are all still here.' The jailer called for lights and rushed into the jail, throwing himself down before Paul and Silas; he brought them out of the prison and asked them, “Men, what must I do to be saved?' They answered: 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, along with all your household.' The apostles shared the gospel with the jailer and his people; he washed their wounds; and all the household were baptized. Then he brought the apostles into his home and set food before them, and they rejoiced at their salvation. When day came, the magistrates sent word to release the prisoners. But Paul replied, 'They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, though we are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison. Now they want us to go away secretly? No! Let them come in person and escort us out.' The magistrates came and apologized and escorted Paul and Silas out to the gates. They apostles visited Lydia, exhorted all the brethren, and took their leave. Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem noted that Jesus' disciples ate without ritually washing their hands, according to the traditions of the Jewish elders—among many such traditions that they observed carefully. So the Jews asked Jesus, 'Why do your disciples not live according to the elders' tradition, but rather eat with hands defiled?' Jesus answered, 'Isaiah prophesied well concerning you, when he wrote, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines of God the precepts of mortals.” You leave the commandment of God aside, while holding fast the tradition of men.' He said to them, 'You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition? Moses said, “Honor your father and your mother,” and “ Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.” But you say, “If one tells his father or mother 'What you might have expected from me is Corban [that is, dedicated to God]'”--then you no longer permit him to do anything for his parents. In this and similar cases, you make void God's word through your own tradition, which you impose on others.' Then Jesus addressed all the people witnessing this exchange: 'Hear Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that can defile him by going into him; instead, people are defiled by what comes out of them.' When Jesus went into the house, His disciples asked Him to explain this teaching. Jesus said, 'Then are you also without understanding? Don't you see: whatever goes into a person cannot defile him; it goes in his mouth, through his digestive tract, and so passes on again.' (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) He went on: 'What comes out of a person is what defines him. Out of the heart come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they are what defile a person.'